Episode 187 [Fortress (2)] When
Kyung-hoon left the control room and climbed up the stairs, the green airflow was no longer visible. It is free from poisonous influence.
However, Kyung-hoon’s expression hardened as he came up the stairs and into the square lined with military equipment. In the area
of the underground plaza on the other side of the stairs where Kyung-hoon climbed,
green fog was moving and billowing.
It wasn’t the light-colored air current I saw downstairs. A fog so thick that it was impossible to see inside covered more than half of the square.
“Didn’t you say it was a fog falling from below?”
-It appears to have come up through the air circulation facility. I guess it’s not an ordinary poison fog.
“Is it really foggy?”
No matter how you looked at the fog that was taking over the square, it was not an ordinary fog. The flowing fog looked like a giant octopus or jellyfish monster spreading its tentacles and moving around.
-It is true that it is a gas containing plenty of poisonous ingredients. However, it contains an unknown gas component and is not affected by wind. The movements are not natural either. It appears to be a mana fog controlled by someone.
Wooooow.
Drones were flying around the square, digging up information about the fog.
Some drones stayed far away to check the movement of the entire fog, while others approached the fog and tried to disperse it with the wind from their wings. Some drones jumped into the fog and analyzed its ingredients.
Food deuk.
At some point, the drone that had entered the fog stumbled and landed on the ground.
-3 Drone output decreases. The amount of electricity is drastically decreasing. The efficiency of the generator plummets.
Meanwhile, the fog suddenly popped out and other drones that came close were also trapped in the fog.
The drone’s propeller movement slowed and it landed on the ground.
-The output of drone number 2 is also decreasing. The small mana stone generator is not producing enough power.
“Pull back the drones.”
Weeeeeee.
Drones that approached the fog suddenly retreated. The fog that was reaching out towards the drones like tentacles changed back to its normal form and slowly took over the square.
It wasn’t fast, but it seemed like there was no way to get to the ground.
Kyung-hoon asked as he watched the fog approaching.
“Has the drone generator been poisoned?”
-It is not a poison that affects machines. There is nothing wrong with the generator. However, the amount of mana extracted from mana stones has decreased.
There was no way the mana amount would change unless the mana stones were depleted. then.
“Am I losing mana?”
Kyung-hoon had also seen a monster that gradually stole the mana leaking from generators and portal equipment.
It was my first time seeing a monster that drained mana to the point where the machine stopped working and used fog to drain mana, but there could be plenty of monsters like that.
Kyung-hoon remembered the fortress generator where the mana stone had turned cloudy.
“Did the fog also suck up the mana stones from the fortress generator?”
-It doesn’t seem to absorb that strongly. However, it may be possible if you absorb it for a long time.
“The more you know, the more annoying he is. Anyway, it seems difficult to get through that thing and get to the surface, right?”
-If mana absorption is certain, it will be difficult for the master’s shield to properly block the poison. The chances of breaking through safely are not high. How about escaping through space or dimensional movement?
The reason Kyung-hoon and Eve watched the approaching fog so leisurely was because there was still a last resort left.
However, if they ran away like that, it would be impossible to utilize this fortress. It would be possible to destroy the fortress step by step with bombs or the power of the Samjeonggeom, but then only the fortress buried in the ground would remain.
“If it were a monster, it would at least have a main body or a core…”
If it was a fog created with characteristics, it was clear that there would be a main body somewhere. The jelly-like monster that had previously contaminated the central control system also had a core inside it.
If this thing was a monster, it couldn’t have been made of just fog.
But there was no way to find it. I couldn’t search through that fog, and I couldn’t search with a drone equipped with a mana stone.
“Should I give up?”
When Kyung-hoon looked embarrassed, Eve opened her mouth.
-There is a way.
Kyung-hoon’s face brightened at Eve’s words.
-The task was not completed, so we were unable to gain control of the satellite, but we were able to gain control of part of the fortress. Because it is a military fortress, there are surveillance cameras installed throughout the fortress, although they are outdated equipment. These days, the camera is powered by a generator, so there should be no problem in operation.
The square was brighter than before with the light coming from the lights hanging from the ceiling. My back was safe both in places that were not covered in fog and in places that were covered in fog.
As Eve said, as long as the fortress generator was safe, it was clear that the power would be fine.
“But wouldn’t the fortress generator also lose its mana if it is enveloped in fog?”
-The amount of output is completely different from that of a drone. Of course, operation may stop as expected, so I hope the owner will look back.
Kyung-hoon was asking to draw Foggy’s attention. It wasn’t a very difficult task thanks to previous experience, but Kyung-hoon’s expression didn’t look that good.
“Checking the surveillance cameras means you have to be connected to the fortress.”
-you’re right.
The story was that Eve had to stay away from Kyung-hoon and connect to the fortress terminal.
“Isn’t it dangerous for you to use mana stones too?”
-I am not human. It will not be poisoned or damaged if its mana is taken away. Honestly, considering the level of mana stones I am running on, I don’t think it will be a problem no matter how much mana is taken away.
Eve said in a confident tone.
“Hmm…”
But Kyung-hoon couldn’t come to a conclusion right away. Anyway, I didn’t like that Eve was dangerous.
-If we think it might become dangerous, we will contact you right away. All you have to do is run right away and save him.
Eve spoke again. It was reasonable and not bad advice. Gyeong-hoon, who was worried, eventually agreed to Eve’s plan.
Instead, Kyung-hoon provided one more security for Eve’s operation. The cell phone containing Eve was connected to the bottom of the drone.
“When the fog approaches, disconnect and fly away.”
Kyung-hoon said as he connected his cell phone to the terminal in the corner of the hallway downstairs.
-All right. At this level, I can move around easily by myself. I will have to use it often.
“no. Just this once. “It’s safest to move with me.”
-That’s an interesting expression. It was a decent workhorse.
Hearing Eve’s words, Kyung-hoon tapped his phone.
“Be careful.”
-Don’t worry. let’s begin.
Kyung-hoon stood up holding his sword. Now it was time to go on a rampage. The plan was to make sure that no one could look towards where Eve and the generator were.
Kyung-hoon went up to the square again and Eve started checking the video from the surveillance camera.
Kyung-hoon’s image passed by on the stairs camera going up to the plaza, and a cell phone and drone were captured on the hallway camera.
The fortress generators were still operating well, and there was a huge pile of gold bars and various relics. I also saw a warehouse where items were displayed. All of the mana stones attached to the item had turned cloudy. Everything has been depleted.
‘Where is it?’
Neither the nucleus nor the main body was visible on surveillance cameras. A thick fog was spreading around the underground warehouse and the plaza.
‘Could it be that the plaza upstairs and the warehouse downstairs are in the air circulation system?’
The surveillance camera did not reach the inside of the vent. It was a place where it was impossible to enter because it was blocked by a wire mesh…
‘Is the fog really a body and is there a nucleus within the fog?’
Anyway, there was only one place left. Eve turned all the surveillance cameras towards the ventilation fan.
*
Gyeong-Hoon was running wild near the poisonous fog in the square, and
the nameless monster was a little bothered by the rampaging prey. It kept circling around my body and getting on my nerves.
Anyway, as his body grows, all the underground food will enter his body, but the food that seems to be caught but cannot be caught was very irritating to him.
Elsewhere, although it was less than the food, more delicious mana was felt.
I felt mana again in the area where the large mana stone I had previously consumed was, and I felt a huge amount of mana in other places as well.
The monster didn’t like the speed at which its body was growing. As expected, being hungry was the problem. It seemed like the monster had to satisfy its hunger first.
Then, of course, I had to go to the place with the most delicious mana.
The green mana stone floating in the middle of the vent began to move along with the fog.
Head towards the mana stone in the hallway on the second basement floor.
*
‘It moved!’
Eve, who was looking at dozens of cameras at the same time, was able to find a screen with fog coming out at some point.
This was not a place where there had been fog before. Green mist was coming out of an unexpected place.
Ventilation hole in the hallway on the second basement floor. It was the hallway vent where Eve was.
Ugh.
Immediately, a drone with a cell phone attached took off into the air. Eve moved the drone as instructed by Kyung-hoon.
The phone followed suit and the cable tried to pull out of the control panel terminal.
‘stop! It’s not dangerous yet! ‘You should check it out!’
Eve resisted reflexive movements. The drone that tried to move stayed in place.
Eve put Kyung-hoon’s instructions to ‘run away from danger’ on hold.
Kyung-hoon’s instructions always came first to her, but now that she had changed from before, she was able to withhold his instructions if it helped Kyung-hoon.
There was no guarantee that her choices would always help him, but she believed that such consideration and choice were necessary for her master and herself.
A thick fog filled the hallway. Fog covered the drone and cell phone.
Purr.
The propeller stopped and the drone rolled on the floor. Cell phones were also lying on the floor. Fortunately, the cable was still connected.
‘Come out quickly.’
Mana absorption was faster than expected. The drone stopped immediately and the cell phone’s energy plummeted. The output of the mana stone was sufficient, but the problem was that the pattern and wiring of the cell phone were too old. The cell phone’s energy efficiency was terrible.
It was still okay, but it seemed like it might not be as safe as I thought.
Srurr.
But it was worth the risk.
Something caught the camera that was filming the vent exit. A thick fog obscured the screen, but a sparkling green mana stone could be seen frozen in the center of the fog. And the moment the green mana stone appeared, the cell phone’s energy ran out. The phone was about to power off.
The amount of energy absorbed was on a different level.
-master!
Eve shouted.
The phone screen turned off and the green mana stone floating in the air gradually approached the phone.
A green mist enveloped the phone and made it float in the air. It felt like a tongue made of fog was wrapping around the phone.
The green mana stone glowed even more gloomily.
I flinch.
The mana stone that was approaching stopped moving. Then he quickly retreated and entered the vent.
Squeeze!
At the same time, I saw Kyung-Hoon, engulfed in green flames, running from the other side of the hallway.
He was running towards Eve, fighting the poison that had entered his body.
Kyung-hoon grabbed his phone and immediately tried to create a portal.
-foot. Where there is a generator. car. Please create a portal.
At that time, Eve’s voice reached Gyeonghoon’s ears. The screen was obviously off, but it didn’t seem to have completely stopped yet.
Kyung-hoon gritted his teeth and ran to the machine room where the generator was.
The fog drained his mana and the poison tried to poison his body, but he was eventually able to reach the machine room and create a silver hole.
Three generators central. He jumped into the silver hole.
*
The prey escaped. I don’t know how it escaped, but the prey ran away with the other mana.
I waited a long time. I didn’t know when food like this would come again.
But fortunately, there was still delicious mana left.
A green mana stone appeared in the center of the machine room through the vent. The mana stone stopped in the center of the generator that was restarted.
And then the monster began to suck up the mana. The mana was sucked in endlessly.
The electricity went out and the fortress became dark again.
